COMIFAC Regional Workshop 
Monitoring Carbon Stocks and Fluxes in the Congo Basin
2-4 February 2010
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Workshop Sponsors
OFAC, OSFAC, UN FAO, WCS, WRI, WWF, START
COMIFAC, as the regional coordination group for decision-making and initiatives pertaining to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and savannahs in Central Africa, invites those with a technical interest in monitoring land use change, land cover and their relationship to carbon quantification to a Regional Workshop, “Monitoring Carbon Stocks and Fluxes in the Congo Basin”.
There has been long standing interest in monitoring of Congo Basin Forests, largely driven by research on biodiversity, ecosystems, land use and earth system observations. As a result of the inclusion of REDD in climate change treaty negotiations, the monitoring of the forests of the Congo Basin is the subject of more intense interest. It is therefore an opportune time to assess the status and capacity for forest monitoring and to identify the principal technical issues associated with carbon monitoring in the region. Presenters will be encouraged to describe how their projects inform technical aspects of REDD preparedness.
Objectives of the workshop:
Provide an overview of current land cover, land use and carbon monitoring activities in the Congo Basin, including both field based and remote sensing projects;
Assess current capacities for land cover, land use and carbon monitoring at the regional and national levels;
Establish scientific and technical guidelines for successful carbon monitoring in the Congo Basin;
Identify current satellite data needs for Congo Basin land cover and carbon monitoring including data acquisition, data access and data dissemination, and develop a strategy to meet these needs;
Identify a mechanism to inform COMIFAC and national governments on the technical issues associated with carbon monitoring, particularly in the context of REDD.
Day 1 will feature keynote speeches from COMIFAC and the ROC Ministry of Forests followed by an overview of REDD requirements in the region. There will be presentations on land cover and land use monitoring activities at the national and regional levels, followed by an update on international and regional network activities for data sharing and enhancing technical capacities.
Day 2 The focus of day 2 will be on the technical approaches for carbon monitoring, both in situ and via remote sensing. It is intended to include both projects that have results to share as well as those that are newly initiated. There will be an opportunity in each technical session to discuss how these approaches and projects relate to REDD.
Day 3 will allow continued discussion on the technical aspects of carbon monitoring in the Congo Basin. There will be break out sessions on topics identified by attendees as important to the region, followed by reporting and planning in plenary.
